TRIBUTE
This article doesn’t speak about any weapon or arms. But, it is about a gentleman who was as fierce as a gun and was loaded with knowledge and wisdom, which proved to be beneficial to those he conversed with. Also, he was an epitome of strength for the family and a doting individual whose absence is felt even among his acquaintances. His vision and farsightedness served as a guiding light to many of his colleagues and friends, and as far as the family is concerned, this very quality of his would indeed safeguard us from several challenges life threw at us. We couldn’t fathom our existence without him; his demise really left an irreplaceable void which can’t be filled by any. He bequeathed a legacy, which I am obligated to live up to.
This might make the readers inquisitive about this very gentleman whose life is no less than a saga, which compelled me to glorify through the medium of this article. On his first death anniversary, I would pay tributes to my grandfather, Mr. Abdul Rahim Nanda (EX IGP, J&K Police) who left for his heavenly abode on the 14th March 2022 in New Delhi, after a 3.5 year-long battle against cancer. This tragic event marked an end of an era for our kith and kin. He was fondly addressed as Bade Daddy and Sahab by youngsters and elders respectively. Daddy had an eminent personality which commanded admiration and respect, since he was himself a man who practiced a disciplined decorum.
As mentioned in my article above, my grandfather served as the Inspector General of Police, for the whole of J&K. Since at that time, there was only one IG for the entire police department. Daddy was a self made man; he was born on the 28th of July 1932, to a humble background in the heart of Srinagar, Ab-i-Guzar and was the 2nd youngest amongst 3 of his siblings. He completed his schooling from CMS Tyndale Biscoe, Lal Chowk and was considered as one of the brightest and competent students of his batch. As he mentioned to me, he was schooled by English nuns and fathers, which was one of the key reasons as to why he was polished and grounded. While talking about his school times, it would be unfair of me to forget to mention about his best friend and confidant Mr. Narwaroo, whom he considered as a brother.
After graduating from school, he went on to pursue his Undergraduate Degree at SP College in Arts and Commerce where he excelled and appeared in the UPSC examinations, and left no stone unturned to prove his competence by qualifying with flying colours and getting a seat in the IFS, IPS and IAS respectively. However, as per his interests, he chose to serve the Indian Police Services. In order to equip himself with the skills and traits required by a police officer, Daddy went to various police training institutes across India. He started his training at a reputed police training academy at Mount Abu, Rajasthan for about 6 months, post which, he also went to prestigious training institutes in Phillaur(Punjab) and Hyderabad respectively to attain a broader insight into the functioning and pedagogies of the police department.
After accruing the required expertise, he returned to the valley where he was first posted as ASP (Assistant Superintendent of Police) Sopore, within months of his posting he was appointed as DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) Baramulla. After which, fate was completely in favour of him and he started to inch towards the pinnacle of his career. Here, there was no looking back. In 1963, he was sent to Mount Abu again for advanced training for another 6 months. In the next year he was promoted to the ranks of SP in Jammu for 2.5 years. In, 1965 he returned to Kashmir and was made the commandant of the 5th Battalion of J&K Armed Police. In 1968, he was posted as SSP traffic, where he worked tirelessly to modernize the department. Finally, with dedication, zeal and years of hard work, he proved his mettle and got promoted as the IGP in the eighties. He retired in 1992, and spent his post retirement period shuttling between Kashmir and Delhi, in summers and winters respectively. While talking about his personal life, he got married in the year 1963, and has a daughter and two sons.
Even after retirement, he maintained a strict and a disciplined routine. Daddy started his day at about 5 am by offering fajr prayers and reciting the Holy Quran. Owing to his steadfast approach toward life, he used to exercise and go for a morning walk, which kept him healthy. Also, he had a knack of keeping himself updated with worldly affairs, so he made it a daily routine to read newspapers and spend a certain amount of time by watching news channels, especially news pertaining to J&K. Therefore, he usually preferred to watch regional news channels such as Gulistan & mostly DD Kashir. Apart from watching news and keeping himself prim and proper, his hobbies included photography. He found joy in clicking pictures of special occasions, family members and nature, and then complied them all in an album.
A peculiar quality which made him so distinct from the others, was his ability to mix well with the crowd and to read the mindset of an individual, he used to act like a child around children and his level of maturity with adults went far beyond the definition of maturity itself. As an extrovert, he enjoyed staying around people and kept the family closely knit and together. More than anything else, being pious was his key to a well celebrated life, he was regular at prayers and observed fasts for the whole month until 2018, when he got diagnosed with cancer, he continued with obligatory prayers until 3 years, after which, he completely got bedridden. Despite this, he maintained his god fearing and Down-to-earth nature until his last breath.
Apart from being my Grandfather, Daddy was a friend and a mentor to me. We both shared an intellectual bond, wherein we sat together for hours and discussed matters ranging from politics, current affairs and mostly his personal anecdotes as a highly decorated officer. Due to my voluble nature, he used to call me his ‘Kukil’ (Cuckoo Bird). I literally grew up in his room, and never left for school without meeting him and the first thing I did when I came back from school was to sit with him and discuss about how my day went. He at times used to fetch me from school which made me feel proud in front of my friends. Since I continuously used to brag about being his granddaughter; the granddaughter of a high ranking officer, in the whole class.
I learnt a lot from my grandfather, firstly to be a humble human being and then to be straightforward. Most importantly, he made me inclined towards my religion and Allah (SWT). When I was young, he arranged a Molvi Sb for me, so that I could learn to read and write the Holy Qur’an. Alas! He never taught me how to carry on without him. I dearly miss him more than words could ever comprehend. I am grateful to the Almighty for the 20 wonderful years I got to spend with him and evolved as a human being by following his teachings.
He was a blessing for our family and I pray to Allah (SWT) that he bestows peace upon his soul and accommodates him in the highest place in Jannat Ul Firdaus…Ameen.
(Author is EX IGP’s Granddaughter and Studies Political Science)
